1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for detecting objects, such as human faces, in a digital image.
2. The Relevant Technology
Computing systems are increasingly used for detecting objects in digital images. For example, some systems are configured to examine a photographic digital image and detect the size and location of any human face(s) within the image. At least one goal of such a detection system is to accurately detect desired object features (such as a face) in a digital image and distinguish those features from other objects in the digital image. Patterns in a digital image that correspond, for example, with a face vary extensively and are highly complex, due to the variations in facial appearance, lighting, expressions, and other factors. Such detection systems can consequently be prohibitively complex.
Some common challenges in digital image detection systems are low detection rates and high false detection rates. For example, a face detection system may fail to detect some faces in a digital image. The face detection system may also falsely identify non-face patterns in a particular digital image as faces.